 Smith with theOhio State Buckeyes in 2025 | |
| No. 4 – Ohio State Buckeyes | |
|---|---|
| Position | Wide receiver |
| Class | Sophomore |
| Personal information | |
| Born | (2005-11-29)November 29, 2005 (age 19) Miami Gardens, Florida, U.S. |
| Height | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) |
| Weight | 225 lb (102 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | Chaminade-Madonna(Hollywood, Florida) |
| College | Ohio State (2024–present) |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats atESPN | |
Jeremiah Smith (born November 29, 2005) is an Americancollege footballwide receiver for theOhio State Buckeyes. He was the top ranked recruit in the2024 recruiting class, the highest-rated wide receiver in high school recruiting history, and the 9th highest rated recruit of all time. As a freshman in 2024, Smith broke theFBS freshman receiving record and helped Ohio State win the national championship.
Smith was born on November 29, 2005, inMiami Gardens, Florida.[1] At seven years old, Smith tried out for the Miami Gardens Ravens youth football team, but did not make the cut, an event hailed as a defining moment for Smith and his father, Chris, regarding his football career. The event caused Jeremiah Smith to begin taking training more seriously. The next year, Smith made the league winning its own version of theHeisman Trophy.[2][3] Smith later attendedMiami Central Senior High School before later transferring toChaminade-Madonna College Preparatory School inHollywood, Florida.[4] He had 31 receptions for 667 yards and seven touchdowns in his sophomore season.[5][6] He caught 58 passes for 1,073 yards and 20 touchdowns as a junior.[7] He also won theFHSAA Class 2A state championship in the 110 and the 400-meter hurdles during his junior year.[8] During his senior season, Smith was named an All-American and won theAll-American Bowl Player of the Year Award.[9]
Smith was rated a five-star recruit and the top ranked prospect of the incoming 2024college football class.[10][11][12] He was the highest ranked wide receiver recruit in the modern recruiting era (2000–present), surpassingDorial Green-Beckham andJulio Jones.[13] Smith committed to play forOhio State over offers fromFlorida,Florida State,Georgia,Miami, andUSC.[14][15]
| Name | Hometown | School | Height | Weight | Commit date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jeremiah Smith WR | Opa Locka, FL | Chaminade-Madonna | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 215 lb (98 kg) | Feb 7, 2024 | |
Recruit ratings:Rivals:  247Sports: ESPN: | ||||||
In his college debut against theAkron Zips, Smith recorded six receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, leading the team in yardage to a 52–6 win.[16]
Smith was named Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week after recording six touches for 102 yards and two touchdowns in a win againstMichigan State.[17]
On January 1, 2025, Smith had 7 catches for 187 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns in an MVP performance against theOregon Ducks in the2025 Rose Bowl. He was also named theBig Ten Freshman of the Year,Big Ten Receiver of the Year and selected as a first-team All-American by NCAA unofficial selectors, theUSA Today andESPN in 2024. Smith was the lead receiver during the Buckeyes' victory in the2025 College Football Playoff National Championship, during which he set the FBS single-season record for receiving yards and touchdowns by a true freshman.[18]
| Season | Team | Games | Receiving | Rushing | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | ||
| 2024 | Ohio State | 16 | 15 | 76 | 1,315 | 17.3 | 15 | 5 | 52 | 10.4 | 1 |
| 2025 | Ohio State | 10 | 10 | 69 | 902 | 13.1 | 10 | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 1 |
| Career | 26 | 25 | 145 | 2,217 | 15.3 | 25 | 7 | 72 | 10.3 | 2 | |
In September 2024, Smith became the first college football athlete to sign anNIL deal withRed Bull.[19] In July 2025, he signed an NIL endorsement agreement withAdidas to appear in brand marketing campaigns.[20]
Smith is the cousin ofGeno Smith, quarterback of theLas Vegas Raiders in theNational Football League (NFL).[21]Chip Kelly, who recruited Geno fromMiramar High School inMiramar, Florida, coached Jeremiah at Ohio State University before joining Las Vegas asoffensive coordinator and coaching Geno Smith. He was one of the cover athletes forEA Sports College Football 26 alongsideRyan Williams.[22]